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The Frog for August is the Green Striped form of Phyllobates aurotaenia. It is also called the Kokoe Poison Frog, although this name is seldom used in the U.S. Dart Frog Hobby. P. aurotaenia originates from the Chocó region of Colombia, west of the Andes, where it inhabits the rainforests up to 1700 feet above sea level, between the Rio San Juan and the Rio Atrato. In its wild state, P. aurotaenia is one of only three, truly poisonous Dart Frogs, which were used to by some of the Chocó tribes of Colombia to poison their hunting darts. In captive-bred specimens, the toxin is a non-issue, as the usual diet of fruit flies, and crickets does not allow for the production of dangerous alkaloids in these frogs. P. aurotaenia is a medium sized dart frog that grows to about 1.25 to 1.75 inches, males being slightly smaller than the females, and usually a little thinner, as well. Their colors range from Orange, to Yellow, to Green, on a Jet Black background with Blue to Green speckling on their limbs. The forms encountered most often in the U.S. hobby are Orange Wide-Banded, Orange Narrow Banded, and Green Banded. “Striped” would be a more appropriate word to describe their markings, as their markings are dorsal-lateral stripes, as opposed to bands across their bodies. All forms of P. aurotaenia can be maintained similarly
In captivity, P. aurotaenia can be maintained in a rainforest terrarium. They are primarily terrestrial, and should be maintained as such. Although they will occasionally climb, they spend most of their time sitting on the terrarium floor. As in other Phyllobates species, they are very aggressive feeders, taking much larger food items than other similarly sized Dendrobatids. An adult P. aurotaenia should have no trouble taking a 3-week-old cricket, although smaller food items are usually recommended. Their temperature should be maintained in the low to mid 70’s F. They seem to heat stress easily, so the temperature should not be allowed to get above the low 80’s F. for extended periods of time. P. aurotaenia are prolific breeders, and will normally breed in a bower. Males have a loud, Canary-like, whistling trill, very similar to that of D. leucomelas. The tadpoles can be reared together, and fed on high quality, tropical fish food. With most Phyllobates species, the emerging froglets seem to have a difficult time climbing steep walls, and can drown easily. Care should be given to make sure that they can easily climb out of the water. They often start sitting at the edge of the water while they still have a significant part of their tails left. The froglets are easy to rear, as they are very aggressive feeders as well. Although they are not well known as other Dendrobatids are in the Hobby, P. aurotaenia can make an excellent addition to any Dart Frog Collection. The Green form of P. aurotaenia has beautiful, almost Neon-Green stripes against their Black background. They are extremely hardy, very bold, very attractive, prolific breeders, and are well suited for even the beginner Dart Frog Enthusiasts. Their relative rarity makes it an appealing addition for even the experienced Hobbyist.
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